T-KnoX

Teacher Knowledge Experiment

Funded by the German Research Foundation in the Priority Program "Competence Modells" (KL 2311/1-1)

Duration: 4.2012 - 3.2014

Aim of the StudyTeacher professional knowledge, i.e. content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge, is considered to be a key component of teacher competence. Recent studies showed that teachers' professional knowledge indeed impacts quality of instruction and student progress. Thus, the question of how teachers develop this kind of knowledge is an important issue for educational research. The study T-KnoX investigates conditions of the development of teacher professional knowledge by means of an experimental approach.

MethodIn our study, pre-service teachers participate in differently designed courses that last two days, and we investigate the effects on participants' professional knowledge. The study will be conducted with pre-service primary school teachers who are at the beginning of their teacher education program. Participants will be randomly assigned to the different courses. Their professional knowledge will be assessed before, during and after the interventions at four points of measurement.

ImplicationsWe expect to generate causal evidence on conditions of the development of professional knowledge as well as suggestions and also some practical ideas for teacher education.